by Yvette Depaepe 

Alfonso Novillo  loves to play with colours, shapes and unique perspectives. 
His minimal compositions as well as his architectural images are excellent. He loves to walk around in his home town searching for new subjects to create more urban art.
Let's listen to what he has to tell us about his work.

'Urban Colors'

Briefly tell us about yourself, your hobbies and other jobs, Alfonso.
My name is Alfonso Novillo, I was born in Madrid (Spain) and I have always lived here.
I am 45 years old and I started studying photography at the age of 13 at the Institute of Vocational Training and Graduated in the photographic image branch.
Since then, I have always been in contact with the world of photography.  As I studied analogue photography, I started quite late to enjoy digital photography.
It was when I bought my first SLR camera. 
For the last few years, I began to explore this art which excites me so much, especially architectural and abstract photography. I love architectural photography in either monochrome or colour, especially abstracts and perspectives of all kinds.
I love exercising, going for a run or cycling to clear my mind and I also quite like horror movies, among many other things.

'Outlier'

Which are your most important experiences that have influenced your art?
Actually, photography was always a part of my life because I started to enjoy this art when I was very young and fully enjoy it till today.

'Mute'

What first attracted you to photography?
From a very young age I was always struck by photographing buildings.  It didn't work so well for me at school especially in mathematics.  But when the evaluation was about algebra, I was the best, getting outstanding notes. Therefore, it happened once that the teachers called my parents to take me to a psychologist because they said that I was an exceptional case. I think that mathematics is closely related to the world of photography and our surroundings. They are everywhere in our daily life, in one way or another and they always have struck me.

'The Visitor'

Why are you so drawn by Abstract & Architecture Photography?
I am lucky to live in Madrid, a city that has grown a lot in recent years. As a result, many buildings and skyscrapers of all kind were built.  I took advantage of it, armed with my camera. I love to photograph the whole environment of the city and will not stopping to love it as long as I enjoy it.  I love shapes, colours and compos.

'I can see you'

'Blue minimalism'

What is more important to you, the mood/story behind your images or the technical perfection?
Of course the mood influences a lot.  I'm really lucky to be able to photograph what I love the most and to post-process my images till I'm fully satisfied and ready to share them.

'The Door'

Do you prepare carefully the locations where you are intending to photograph?
I am always observing everything around me.  I look for curious things and when something catches my eye, I return to that spot in my leisure time. Then I photograph the compositions that I have observed before.  I think I'm really privileged since enjoy so much the urban art.

'Interstellar'

What gear do you use (camera, lenses, bag)?
I still use my first DSLR, a Nikon D7000.I never replaced it by another one and am not intending to do it at the moment. I use my Nikon with various focal lenses: 18-105mm / 11-16mm / 35mm / 50mm / 70-300mm. I also use neutral density filters and sometimes a tripod.

'Harmony'

What software do you use to process your images?
I always use, "adobe camera raw" to adjust the photo before processing it in photoshop.  I also use some plug ins like NIK colour efex pro and NIK silver efex pro.

'Orange Abstraction'

Can you tell us something more about your work flow?
I like to photograph in colour, but for linear compositions or perspectives, I go for monochrome. I try to look for some subject which can match a composition.  It can be a lamppost or some window for example, so that the photograph speaks for itself. I also find it important to adjust the camera framing in post-processing.

'Blue Stairs'

What is your most important advice to a beginner in Abstract/ Architecture Photography and how do you get started?
An important tip is that you acquire a reference of what you are going to photograph.  When taking photos, do not despair if the framing of what you want to make is not the most optimal.  You can correct it in post-processing. I have numerous photographs that I took, which didn't seem to be OK.  But later on, when looking at them again, I can post-process them into excellent images.  So, even if you think you have a bad photographic day, you should keep your images for later, realizing that you have what you wanted and processing them to obtain great shots.

'Scraps'

Who are your favourite photographers and more importantly, how has your appreciation of their work affected how you approach your own photography? 
It would be unfair to name only a few.  I have to say that most of the photographers I admire, are here on 1x.  When I look at their images, they inspire me every day, they surprise me.  I am really amazed by their ingenuity and creativity.

'Sunflowers'

Are there any specific directions that you would like to take your photography in the future or any specific goals that you wish to achieve?
I would like to have more time to travel more often to photograph other cities.  That's currently not possible for me.  I would love to do in the future.  But to be honest, I will settle for what I have right now and that's not little.

'Waves'

Describe your favourite photograph taken by you and why it is special to you?
I am fortunate to think that any photograph that I took and uploaded on the net, is as important to me as any other. They all have their charm and their story.

'False appearances'

Is there anything else you wish to add and what do you think about 1X as a home base for your work?
Thanks to 1x, I have been learning every single day.  I'm constantly inspired by many photographers.  Apart of being such a great source of inspiration, I'm growing day by day and I'm very grateful for that.

'Madrid Lights'